On Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill to remove the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program from the state's statute. HHS launched in 2020 to help seniors and people with disabilities find housing using Medicaid money. However, fraud quickly ensued. The program was estimated to cost 2.6 million a year, but was costing over $100 million by 2024. The HSS was shut down last year after a federal investigation found widespread fraud. This Covid-era housing stabilization program in Minnesota used recruiters to find people eligible for Medicaid, many of whom had legitimate need — but billed the government for services they did not deliver to these people. While Minnesota fraud stories like this one have gone viral in the past year, Medicare and Medicaid fraud are neither new nor uncommon. Here are five other examples in recent history.
